Avengers World #14

   The Avengers World comic has been a wild ride from the beginning.

   Over the course of the last two years (or so), the series has introduced a number of menaces that have continued to escalate - and now each one threatens world-wide destruction.

   Among the problems: a massive dragon has been awakened. (How big is it? The city of Madripoor sits on its head!) The sorceress Morgana Le Fay has raised an army of the dead. The organization AIM has used technology from the future to set up an impregnable fortress and launch an attack on the U.S.

   Whew! Rather amazingly, all those stories are wrapped up in this issue - and only the solution to the AIM problem seems to be a bit of a cheat.

   So it's an action-packed story that goes from completely improbable (the fight with the giant dragon - how could Madripoor possibly survive that?) to speedy (Morgan's fall) to satisfying (AIM).

   I've enjoyed the series so far, but the next issue feeds into the Axis event, so I'll bow out for the foreseeable future.

   Not to worry - there are plenty of Avengers comics out there to choose from.

Grade: B+

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Avengers World #9

   The main Avengers titles have been mighty serious of late - so this issue of Avengers World arrives like a shot of fresh air.

   It features two Avenger team members who are best friends and former New Mutants - Sam "Cannonball" Guthrie and Bobby "Sunspot" DaCosta are cast in the unlikely role of spies, trying to uncover the secret behind the growing threat of AIM Island.

   They approach it as a lark (time travel is nothing new to them, after all), and eventually they land in that greatest of dramatic devices: a bar fight with dozens of strange aliens.

   It's all in good fun! Writer Nick Spencer keeps the dialogue fast and funny, and artist Stefano Casselli brings us amazing alien creatures and worlds of the future and keeps the storytelling clear and easy to follow.

   I'm always a sucker for humor when it's well done, and this issue fits the bill. Recommended!

Grade: A-

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Avengers World #7

    Fresh off his star turn in the Captain America: Winter Soldier movie, it's good to see The Falcon getting the spotlight in Avengers World.

   It's a strange story he finds himself in. The Gorgon has defeated Shang-Chi and awakened the giant dragon that lives under the city of Madripoor - and is using the creature to threaten China.

   The Falcon is there, along with the Black Widow and Wolverine, but they're far outnumbered. The Falcon investigates an unusual sighting and finds a possible source of salvation, in the guise of a brand-new super-team.

   The question is, are they allies or future opponents?

   The story is by Nick Spencer (and we assume he's working closely with Jonathan Hickman, since it all ties in with some of that writer's creations), and he has an excellent grip on the voice for each character.

   The art by Stefano Caselli is quite good, with a powerful, raw feeling to it, and the color work by Andres Mossa is outstanding.

   The story is walking the edge (mostly because of the gigantic dragon angle), but so far it's a compelling story, and I like the focus on the individual members of the team. So far, so good.

Grade: B+

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Avengers World #1

   This is where I start worrying that Marvel is over-extending its Avengers brand (gee, do you think?) and - more dangerously - burning out its top writer, Jonathan Hickman.

   So I approached the new Avengers World with some trepidation.

   The first thing we notice is that they're brought in a co-writer, Nick Spencer - that's a smart move.

   And the artist is Stefano Caselli, who does great work here - dark, moody and imaginative.

   The story doesn't quite work for me, but that's probably because it's just getting underway - we're just seeing the setup here.

   I love a lot of things about the script - the return of strong characters (including a great surprise from one of Hickman's earlier series), a really massive menace, some great dialogue and plenty of surprises - this may end up being another terrific series to follow.

   It's just a bit too early to say for sure. But it's off to a promising start.

   But please, Marvel - enough Avengers titles for now, OK?

Grade: A-

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